Accessibility Coordinator Duties
Before planning your event, designate an accessibility coordinator.
Tips & Duties:
- Don’t get overwhelmed! The issue of accessibility and accommodations is an extremely complex one, and the amount of information in this document may seem overwhelming at first. If your event’s accessibility and accommodation needs are very complex have multiple accessibility coordinators. This document isn’t meant to worry you or stress you about trying to be flawlessly accessible. Many disabled persons are happy to know that they have a person to request help from to make their experience more enjoyable and inclusive. Be open to listening to their needs and do your best to help.
- Review the list of topics covered in the toolkit to help ensure the most accessible event possible. If your event is planning to accommodate a lot of people or be complex in its execution it’s highly recommended to have multiple coordinators to take on this task.
- Have contact information for the accessibility coordinator placed on advertising materials so that if a disabled potential guest has personal questions or concerns they can try to reach out ahead of time.
- If you are confused or struggling with a particular request, communicate with the disabled person making it, they often have suggestions at how to accommodate their needs.
Remember! Considering the accessibility and accommodation needs at the beginning of planning is a lot easier than trying to remedy issues that arise after reservations and arrangements have been made.
Personal Accommodation Requests:
The best way to find out what an individual’s needs is to communicate with them directly. As a personal opinion of a person with a disability, I suggest offering help with a statement such as,
“Please let us know if there’s anything we can do to make you experience more accessible.”
or the more comprehensive version
“In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, UCLA will honor requests for reasonable accommodations made by individuals with disabilities. Requests can be fulfilled more effectively if notice is provided at least 10 days before the event. Direct accommodation requests to Accessibility Coordinator’s Name at Accessibility Coordinator’s Contact Information.”
These can go on marketing materials, be communicated via email and voiced in person to ensure accessibility and accommodations at all points.
One of the best ways to open up request for accommodations is to have an RSVP for your event that includes a questionnaire that allows someone to privately and directly request what they need. Some individuals will be hesitant about asking for help as they do not want to be viewed as a burden, while others will be very comfortable with asking. Either way, an offer of assistance, even if turned down, is always appreciated.
How to Use the Toolkit
The accessibility toolkit is extensive; the information provided here will undoubtedly be more than the coordinator will need for most events.
How to Use the Toolkit:
- Break up the reading over multiple sessions so that you are not overwhelmed.
- Read this toolkit over as soon as possible and preferably before too much event planning has passed to ensure that the event is “accessible by design”.
- Read these introductory tabs, especially the checklist, to understand the layout of the other parts of the toolkit. The plethora of topic is many, but in chunks it should be manageable.
- Read over the Brief Guides–This will help give you a general list of what to look out for when picking a venue and for early stages of planning. For example, if you are considering the locations of companion bathrooms or accessible parking, it is a lot easier to pick a venue with these in mind than to try and make an inaccessible venue accessible. I understand that UCLA’s venues are always in high demand and that you may not have much of a choice in what venue is available or that you are assigned.
- Read Possible Problems and Suggested Solutions— Once you have started some of the early planning of your event and are trying to be sure to incorporate accessibility and accommodations, read through this next document, preferably with a notebook handy to jot down your ideas and notes for your own event. It’s better to be familiar with possible problems before they occur and take preventative steps instead.
- As you review these problems and solutions, take note of ones you think might apply to your venue or event.
- If one of the topics in the “Possible Problems and Suggested Solutions” particularly concerns you and seems especially applicable to your venue, I suggest you read the corresponding section in the “Technical Information” document. This document has many specifics and more in-depth discussions of these topics. For example, it can give you measurements and diagrams directly from the Americans with Disability Act (ADA) to help you address certain situations. If any problem seems confusing or overwhelming, please refer to the Resources document to help find people and offices to contact for help or guidance.
- Review Resources for any problems that may arise.
Remember that disability compliance is a complex issue and needs vary greatly.
How to Use the Toolkit
Introduction Tabs
The first section is the first 5 tabs of this webpage: Welcome!, Before You Start, Accessibility Coordinator Duties, How to Use the Toolkit, and Organization & Documents. This section is meant to give a general understanding of disability at UCLA and some basic ideas of where problems can stem from; it’s meant to incite big picture thinking about disability.
Planning Checklist
This planning checklist gives guidelines and instructions as to how to approach planning an event with accessibility and accommodations in mind. Along with the checklist there is also a page that gives feedback on each step to help the Accessibility Coordinator. There is also a Google Forms version of the checklist to provide the same information in a different format. Lastly, there’s a PDF version for printing.
Brief Guides
Next, there’s a set of 5 “brief guides”. These are checklists for “Do’s” and “Don’ts” for 5 different categories of physical disability: Mobility, Wheelchair Accessibility, Blind and Low Vision, and Deaf and Hard of Hearing and Miscellaneous.
Possible Problems and Suggested Solutions (PPSS)
There is a possible problems and suggested solutions list (PPSS) that itemizes when there is a problem, why there is a problem and what to do about it.
Technical Information
The next section is more informative on each of the topics explored in the previous documents. Both the PPSS and the More Information documents are broken up into 3 categories: Access to the Event (ATE), Access within the Event (AWE), and Participation Activity (PA). The possible problems and suggested solutions section will sometimes refer to a diagram on its corresponding topic in the More Information document. The reference will look like this “(see More Information ATE 1.d)” which lists the subsection that should be referenced.
Resources & References
There is a resource guide to resources that may be useful for disability issues that may arise. They are always happy to help, but may need plenty of time before your event if you want them to be involved in correcting a problem. See the far right tab.
Certification
The Semel Healthy Campus Initiative Center hopes to create an Accessibility Certification Seal similar to that of UCLA’s Green Event Certification. The details of this process are still being finalized. More information will be under this section.
Planning Checklist
Here is a checklist to guide you through the process of planning an event with accessibility and accommodations in mind!
Find the checklist below. There are also buttons to the checklist with feedback on each bullet point, a Google Forms version of the checklist and a PDF version.
To Start
- Identify a person (or persons) to be in charge of accessibility and accommodations, an Accessibility Coordinator (FIX THIS LINK)
- Review the difference between accessibility and accommodation (FIX THIS LINK)
- Familiarize yourself with all the resources available to help you put on an optimally accessible and accommodating event:
Note: The above are just the main offices that provide disability resources, other offices and departments are happy to help as well!
When picking a venue
- Identify the 32-inch wide minimum accessible entrance into your venue
- Check all travel spaces for wheelchair accessibility:
- 30 inches wide for straight travels
- 48 inches long for passing
- 60 inches in diameter for turning
- Find the accessible bathroom stalls within your venue
- Identify the type of accessible stalls are available at your venue
- Identify where your closest companion (aka All Gender) bathroom
- Identify the elevators within your venue to access your event?
- If any part of your event is outdoors, plan temperature-controlled shelter in case the need arises
- If any part of your event is indoors, identify the temperature controls (ie. Air-conditioned)
- keep it between 50-80 degrees F
- If the indoor venue is not temperature controlled find these other solutions:
- Fans
- Personal heaters
- Specify a lack of control over this situation in your publicity so guests can be aware before the event
- Identify the locations of accessible drinking fountains and/or
- Plans for a beverage/hydration station where water can be distributed in cups
Plan the access to the venue
- Identify the nearest parking structure with accessible parking spaces
- Identify a back-up accessible parking in case of overflow
- Identify your closest ride-share drop off zones are, if your event takes place between 7am and 6pm on a weekday
- Established an accessible route to your venue from:
- Closest parking lot/structure
- Ride-share drop-off locations
- Checked your accessible route for the following:
- Curb Cuts: where the curb becomes flushed with the street to allow a wheelchair to cross the street
- Flatness: incline presents a very difficult mobility obstacle. Avoid incline with routes that involve elevators
- Lack of obstructions: Signage, scooters, and many other obstructions may not be a problem for an able-bodied person to get by, but wheelchairs need more space to get by
- Distance: Distance should be noted on pre-event materials so that persons with mobility disabilities can plan ahead.
- Ground Type: Loose ground type (sand, gravel) and grass can be quite difficult on persons with mobility disabilities and/or wheelchairs.
- Make signage to your event that clearly directs to accessible routes
- Make sure signage is clearly visible from a wheelchair vantage point (43-51 inches high)
- Make sure signage doesn’t obstructs an accessible route
Plan the setup of your venue
- Prepare seating accommodations for all of the following:
- Wheelchair usage—will not transfer: May need to remove one or multiple seats at the front of your seating.
- Wheelchair usage—will transfer: May need to remove one or multiple seats at the front of the venue and seat the wheelchair next to the seat they will be transferring to.
- Blind or low vision—Seating where the event can be clearly heard.
- Deaf or hard of hearing—Seating where visuals, interpreters or captions can be clearly seen.
- Ambulatory with mobility disability—Seating where the event can be enjoyed without obstructions. Path to seat is short and without incline or stairs.
- Companion or aide—A disabled person may bring a companion or aide to help them throughout the event, be sure that they are seated next to each other
- Check the accessibility of the furniture:
AVOID:
-
- Bar tables
- Immovable furniture
- Tables that have a crossbar or table legs that prevent a wheelchair beneath
- Prepare to handle materials accommodations and alternate formatting for the following:
- Wheelchair usage—Make sure all materials are within reach for a lower vantage point and for someone with limited upper body mobility.
- Blind or low vision—Materials that can be converted into an accessible digital format or Braille (this can be a very difficult option) are good options. For persons with low vision guests larger print, clear fonts, bold face, and large contrasts between ink and paper colors can be the best solution for typed materials.
- Deaf or hard of hearing—Incorporate visuals, interpreters, ObiDuo or captions. NO YOUTUBE AUTO-CAPTIONS. For a hard of hearing guest, look into assistive listening device options for your venue and event.
- Ambulatory with mobility disability— Ensure that all materials are within reach for someone with limited upper and lower body mobility.
- Consider common allergens and medically-restricted diets in your food choices
- Consider accessibility and accommodations for presenters with disabilities (ie. ramps to a stage, lowered microphones, etc)
- Reach out to presenters and event staff/volunteers for any accommodations they might need.
Publicity
- Give guests plenty of opportunity to privately request accommodations ahead of time:
- Create an RSVP form where accommodations can be requested and/or
- Make contact information for the accessibility coordinator available
- Place the Accessibility Certification Seal on your flyers marketing
- Add encouraging messages in your publicity demonstrating your commitment to accessibility and accommodations
Prepare the Staff/Volunteers
- Educate your staff and volunteers to all the accessibility and accommodation options so that, if asked, they can give helpful, well-informed answers to guests
- Encourage staff and volunteers are sensitivity and helpfulness to any accessibility or accommodation issue that may arise!
As a land grant institution, the Semel Healthy Campus Initiative Center at UCLA acknowledges the Gabrielino/Tongva peoples as the traditional land caretakers of Tovaangar (Los Angeles basin, So. Channel Islands).